5 Takeaways: Islanders Sweep Three-Game Set From Sabres

Three up. Three down.
The New York Islanders capped a three-game set against the Buffalo Sabres with a third-straight 5-2 win on Sunday afternoon at Nassau Coliseum.
Brock Nelson (2G), Anders Lee, Casey Cizikas and Cal Clutterbuck scored for the Islanders, who extended their winning streak to five games and their point streak to eight (7-0-1). Ilya Sorokin stopped 25-of-27 in the win. Jeff Skinner and Colin Miller scored for the Sabres, while Jonas Johansson stopped 25-of-29 in the loss.

"You see them three times in a row all in our building, it's a mini-series," Lee said. "That third game is tough, especially on a back to back. We knew that coming in and we did a good job of sticking with out game, getting the first one tonight, that was important and playing with a lead."

ISLES SWEEP THREE-GAME SERIES VS SABRES:

The Islanders ran the table on Sabres this week, taking all three of their consecutive matchups. It was a very methodical and businesslike approach for the Islanders, who beat Buffalo by a combined 15-6 margin.
ISLANDERS VS SABRES
ISLANDERS SABRES ARTICLES
Gamecenter
Photo Gallery
ISLANDERS SABRES VIDEO
Full Highlights
Lee's Opening Goal
Nelson's Wrister
Cizikas Buries Pageau's Feed
Clutterbuck's Breakaway Backhander
Nelson's Empty Net Goal
KINGER'S CALLS
Lee's Opening Goal
Nelson's Wrister From the Slot
Cizikas Buries Pageau's Feed
Clutterbuck's Breakaway Backhander
Nelson's Empty-Net Goal
Brock Nelson (3G, 1A), Jordan Eberle (1G, 3A), Casey Cizikas (1G, 3A) and Matt Martin (2G, 2A) led the Islanders with four points each in the three-game set, but it was a team effort, as 12 different Islanders hit the scoresheet Sunday after 13 did so on Saturday.
Defensively, the Islanders held the Sabres to two goals in each of the three contests and in single-digit shots in seven-of-nine periods.
"Any team can beat anybody in this league, so every day, every game is a little different," Nelson said. "We did a good job taking it one day at a time, one period at a time. We got down, we battled back, we got up and stayed with it. Good job by us."
The win was the Islanders' sixth against the Sabres this season and ninth straight dating back to last year. Buffalo dropped to 2-10-1 since returning from a COVID-induced pause to start February, with six of those losses coming at the hands of the Islanders. The Sabres' winless streak extended to seven games (0-6-1).
While times are tough for Buffalo, Clutterbuck said on Saturday it wasn't the Islanders' place to be concerned about the opposition, but rather to bank points. The Islanders currently sit in first place in the East Division.
"We're just worried about ourselves, we're just trying to win hockey games," Clutterbuck said Saturday. "We don't have time during a hockey game to be concerned about what the sentiment is on the other side."

ISLES STRIKE QUICK IN SECOND:

After a scoreless - and relatively low-event - first period, the Islanders broke the game open with goals from Lee and Nelson 1:02 apart early in the second period.
The momentum started building from puck drop, with the Mathew Barzal line wheeling and creating chances in the Sabres' end. Cody Eakins' holding call put the Islanders on the power play, and while Lee's goal at 5:13 it came six seconds after the penalty expired - the pressure was born on the man advantage.
Like they had on Saturday, the Islanders rode the wave, with Nelson following up two shifts later, sniping his eighth of the season past Johansson at 6:15. The goal was Nelson's second in as many games and first of two on the evening.
The two-goal spurt gave the Islanders a cushion to fall back on, but instead they continued to press, with Cizikas making it 3-0 at 16:56, finishing off a backdoor feed from JG Pageau. The assist was Pageau's 200th-career point and showcased some nice chemistry between the two, as Pageau skated alongside Cizikas and Cal Clutterbuck for a couple of shifts in the second.
The three-goal output in the second period marked the second-straight game the Islanders broke open a game in the middle frame, as they scored four second-stanza tallies on Saturday.
Despite the 3-0 lead, the Sabres didn't go away quietly. Skinner scored his first goal of the season to make it 3-1 at 5:41, with Miller sneaking a shot through Sorokin at 9:35 to make it 3-2. Miller's goal put a little urgency back in the Islanders, who went up 4-2 on a Cal Clutterbuck partial breakaway that the vet backhanded top shelf past Johansson. Nelson iced the game with an empty-netter at 17:48.
Cizikas said the Islanders showed their bend, don't break mentality, while Trotz said the third period response was indicative of how his team doesn't feel the squeeze in a tight game.
"We got comfortable when the games get close," Trotz said. "We got a little quiet for a second there, but I liked our response. Through the weekend, our response was really good."

LEE SCORES 12TH:

Lee found the back of the net for the third time in four games on Sunday, finishing off some pretty passing to open the scoring in the second period. The Islanders' captain posted up in his office, getting inside position on Rasmus Ristolainen before depositing a feed from Jordan Eberle.
Lee's goal was his team-leading 12th of the season, and extended his point streak to four games. Lee now has six goals and one assist in six games vs Buffalo this season.

SOROKIN STARTS:

Ilya Sorokin got the start for Sunday's contest, marking his third start in five games, a notable uptick from his previous playing cadence.
Like his previous two outings, he was not the busier of the netminders, at least through two periods, seeing 13 shots through 40 minutes. The 25-year-old shook off the quick tallies from Skinner and Miller and closed out the contest with some key stops during a late Sabres push.
The win was Sorokin's fourth in a row after starting the season on a three-game winless streak.
"His confidence is growing and you see that in net," Cizikas said. "He made some really big saves today. His work ethic in practice is above and beyond. He's working and he's getting better at his game. You're seeing that out there. He's made some really big saves for us at some key times to keep us with the lead and to keep us in the game."

Video: BUF@NYI: Clutterbuck fires backhander top-shelf

IDENTITY LINE EXTENDS POINT STREAK:

The Islanders Identity Line had a productive series vs the Sabres. Cizikas (1G, 3A), Clutterbuck (2G, 1A) and Martin (2G, 2A) all recorded at least a point in each contest.
Cizikas now has 10 points (4G, 6A) in 25 games this season, Martin now has eight points (4G, 4A) in 25 games and Clutterbuck has eight points (3G, 5A) in 22 games.

NEXT GAME:

The Islanders five-game homestand continues on Tuesday against the Boston Bruins. Puck drop is at 7 p.m.